Steam iron



May 9, 1950 R. J. scoTT 2,506,941

STEAM IRON Filed July 7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l wy b w 60 l May 9, 1950R. J. scoTT 2,506,941

STEAM IRON Filed July '7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arr ,QNEK

Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEAM IRON Robert J.Scott, Blue Springs, Mo., assignor to John C. Hockery,4 Kansas City,Mo., as trustee for Henry J. Talge and Foster L. Talge Application July7, 1949, serial No. 193,399

(C1.- ca -77) 13 Claims.

each having certain advantages over the other,v

and each having corresponding disadvantages. First, there is the teakettle type of steam iron wherein a relative large body of watercontained in the iron is heated (usually by the same electrical elementwhich heats the sole plate) the steam formed above the surface of thewater being conducted through suitable ducts onto the fabric beingironed. Secondly, there is the flash boiler type wherein water stored ina reservoir is fed drop by drop onto a hot plate, the individual dropsthereby being ashed into steam in a more or less continuous successionand the steam being fed onto the fabric as it is generated.

One of the shortcomings of the teakettle type of unit is that so long asit contains water it must be used as a steam iron; it is impossible, inother words, for the operator to shut off the flow of steam at will anduse the iron as a conventional dry iron.

Another disadvantage lies in the necessity of bringing the entire bodyof water to the boiling point before any steam is generated. Thus,starting with a cold iron and cold waterA there inevitably isconsiderable delay in obtaining steam; likewise, when thev heatingelement is turned off after a period of operation,` the steam continuesto issue from the iron for an undesirable interval due to the storedheat. Whatever heat has been stored in the body of water when theelement is turned oif is, of course, lost without serving any usefulpurpose.

Added to this inefficiency and the sluggishness in starting and stoppingsteam generation, the

tea kettle type of iron presents an exceedingly difficult problem ofthermal design owing to the fact that the entire body of water must beheated to the boiling point. Obviously, this requires heat transfer ofhigh efficiency and considerable magnitude, conditions which aredifficult to meet in practice, having proper regard for economicconsiderations and other design requirements. Especially critical doesthe problem become when the iron is to be operated at the relatively lowsole plate temperatures that must be used in orf. der to avoid scorchingcelanese and like syn-'- thetic fabrics when theseareironed.A All prac-rtical irons of this character developed in the past therefore haveinvolved certain compromises and sacriiices in design in order thatmoderately successful operation might be obtained at a reasonable cost.1 f

Most of these difficulties and shortcomings are obviated in the ashboiler type of unit. In the latter because the entire body of storedwater is not heated, it is possible to obtain steamyery quickly and toshut it olf quickly at will. Also because the amount of water beingheated at any.

given instant is small, it is not diiiicult to obtain steam even at lowsole plate temperatures.

Despite these apparent advantages, the tea* 'is quite critical and mustbe regulated in accordance with the temperature of the plate; thistemperature varies as the sole plate temperature is adjusted for ironingdifferent fabrics and thus' far no satisfactory arrangement forcorrelating the rate of feed and the temperature of the sole plate hasbeen developed. Also there often is a tendency for a drop of water uponstriking the hot plate to spatter or roll sizzlingly across the surfaceof the plate without flashing into steam, and, in many instances, thesteam issuing from vthe iron contains a large amount of entrainedglobular water which, of course, is objectionable in that it will spotmany fabrics. Customarily a needle valve is used to regulate the feedingof water onto the hot plate and this likewise is a frequent source oftrouble by virtue of becoming clogged o r improperly adjusted. Anotherdiiculty is that the needle valve must be closed whenever the heatingelement is turned off, and in practice the irons often are flooded dueto failure of the operator to take this precaution.

It is the purpose of the present invention broadly speaking, to providea new type of iron which has the advantages of both types outlined abovebut is free from their respective disadvantages. An important featureresides in the provision of a steam generator, novel in construction andoperation.

Morespecifically, one of the objects is to provide an iron which willgenerate steam very quickly .after being connected, and will ceasegenerating steam quickly when the heat` is turned 01T; another object isto make it possible to usel the unit as a Asteam `iron or a dry iron atwillwithout the necessity ci removing the water therefrom.v ,y .A`further object is to provide av steam iron 3 which heats only arelatively small amount of water at a time and hence will generate steameven at relatively low sole plate temperatures, yet which is free oftroublesome feed valves, valve adjustments, spattering and the other diiculties present in the flash boiler type of iron.

Another object is to provide an iron of high thermal efficiency bothfrom the standpoint of the transfer of heat to the water for generatingsteam and also from the standpoint of minimizing loss of stored heat atthe close of an ironing operation.

Still another object is to provide an iron of the character indicatedabove which is simple and economical to manufacture and service, whichis rugged, durable and trouble free in operation, and which isattractive in appearance.

Other and further objects of the invention together with the novelfeatures of construction whereby objects are achieved, will appear inthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which form. a part of the specification andare to be read' in conjunction therewith, and in which like referencenumerals are employed to indicate like parts of the various views:

Fig. l is a plan view of a steam iron embodying my invention, part ofthe handle and housing being cut away for purposes of illustration,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l inthe direction of the arrows,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional View taken along the line 3 3 ofFig. 2 in the direction of the arrows,

Fig.. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4of Fig. 1 in the directionof the arrows,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectionalplan view taken along. the line 5-5 of Fig. 2in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 6. is a view of the bottom or under side of the sole plate of myiron,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing in detail the.arrangement for sealing together the upper and lower parts of the ironwhen the two are in assembled condition, and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 illustrating a modied form ofconstruction.

Referring more. particularly to the drawings, my iron has a sole plateI0 with a U-shaped resistance heating element I2. embedded therein.Conveniently thel sole plate is cast of aluminum or other metal havingsuitable thermal conductivity. In order to heat the. sole plate,.electrical connections, not shown are made to upstanding insulatedterminals or binding posts. I4 at the rearmost extremities of the legs.of the resistance element. Its temperature is controlledthermostatically by means oi a bi-metal blade I6 secured to the soleplate, this blade cooperating with a pair of contact springs I8 and 20which together form a switch wired in series with the heating element inconventional fashion.

As will be clear from the. drawings, the aforementioned contact springsare mounted. on insulaters 22 in a longitudinal recess 24.located at therear end ol the sole plate. between the two. legs. of the heatingelement. Also mounted on the. insulators by means of an oiset' arm 26 isa stationary nut 28 which supports a threaded shaft 38. Avnger 32 ofinsulating material secured to the lower end'of the shaft extendsthrough an aperture in the upper spring I8 and engages the lower spring2G; thus by turning knob 34 spring 20 may be adjusted up or down toregulate the temperature at which the contacts will be opened and closedby the bi-metal element I6. This method of regulating and maintainingthe temperature of the sole plate automatically is conventional, andforms no part of the present invention.

Forwardly of the bi-metal element is a small boiler or steam generator35 comprising an arched cover 35 which is flanged about its peripheryand secured to the upper side of the sole plate by screws 38. Preferablythe flange is sealed to the sole plate by a gasket material such as aninorganic silicon elastomer applied to the underside of the ange beforeit is screwed down.

The forward portion of the cover is provided with a dome 48 forreceiving the upper end of a tube 42 through which steam may passdownwardly onto the fabric being ironed. The lower end of the tube isthreaded into the sole plate and communicates with the triangular recess44 in the underside of the sole plate., this being covered byA a plate45 ush with the ironing surface, which plate is provided with steamoutlet orices 48 arranged in any desired pattern. Attached by screws asshown, the plate 46 is maintained spaced from the bottom of the recessby a rim or boss 5U.

Spaced above the sole plate is a water reservoir 52, which comprises ahollow shell or housing. 54 with a plate 56 covering the bottom andsuitably sealed .about its margin to the shell. Shell. 54 convenientlymay be a die casting or may be molded of phenolic resin or the like. Ahandle 58 is formed integral with the shell or housing and at theforward end of this is a ller opening S8 provided with a closure 62which presently will be described in detail.

The reservoir is detachably mounted on the sole plate by means of threedownwardly extend. ing posts 64 on the reservoir that are insertableintothree registering hollow studs 66 on the sole plate. The studs havethreaded Shanks which are'screwed into tapped holes in the sole plate asshown; the pins likewise are threaded at their upper ends and screwedinto the housing 54, lock nuts 58 being provided to anchor the pins tothe housing and also to assist in fastening the bottom plate 56 tov thehousing. When the pins have been inserted into the hollow studs they aresecured by'means of screws 10.

To enclose the space between the bottom of the water reservoir and thetop of the sole plate a rabbet is provided around the front and sides ofthe latter, and a band or skirt 12 conforming with theexterior contourof housing 54 is mounted therein; at the rear of the housing the ends ofthis skirt turn inwardly and are formed into loops 14 to receiveshoulder screws 'I6y which extend into the sole plate to hold the skirtin place. The fastening screws, as Well as the working parts and wiringdisposed rearwardly of the skirt, are concealed byr an inclined coverplate 18, the upper edge of which nts into a notch in the housing whilethe lower edge isl-secured by screws 82 threaded into upturned lugs 84on the heel rest 86. Theheel rest comprises a plate fastened by screws88 to the. sole plate and extending rearwardl7 thereof.

Centrally disposed in the upper surface of the sole plate is a shallowwell or pocket 98 which be circular as shownL or of any other desired'shape. e. g. rectangular or. oval. This, it will be noted. is within theboiler under the arched cover 36, and is straddled by the legs of 5V theheating element 2, with the Walls of the well in close proximity to theheating element.

Forward of the well is a floor plate 92 apertured ,to fit over tube 42and fastened by a nut 94. This plate conforms in outline with theinterior walls of the boiler cover 33, and its for` ward portion iselevated above the sole plate by aspacing washer 9S, it being seen thatthe plate inclines downwardly to the rear and terminates in anupstanding flange 93 forming a bafe at the edge of the well. The ends ofthe baille are spaced slightly inward from the sides of the cover 36leaving openings |00 through which liquid may drain from the iioor plateback onto the sole plate around the well. The purpose of the iioor plateand baffle will be explained presently.

Directly over the well is an aperture |02 in the top of the boiler 35,and registering with this is an aperture |34 in the bottom of the waterreservoir. A tube |06 forms a duct from the reservoir to the well, thelower end of the tube being spaced above the bottom of the well butbelow the top. The tube may be constructed to pass freely through hole|02, its upper end being flared outwardly and brazed or otherwiseaiiixed to the margin of hole |04 as shown in Figs. 2 and '7;alternatively, the fired upper end of the tube may be secured to themargin of hole |02 as shown in Fig. 8 in which case the bottom of thereservoir around hole |34 is rolled downwardly. In either case, aresilient deformable O-ring I 08 is employed to seal the parts together,this preferably being formed of a heat resisting silicone elastomer. Thering is seated in an annular centering depression in the boiler cover36, and in the Fig. "I construction it will be understood that itprevents leakage of steam through the clearance between tube |06 andhole m2; in the Fig. 8 construction the ring prevents any leakage of thewater entering the tube through aperture |04.

Above the upper end of the tube is a disk-like closure valve H2 operableat will to prevent the passage of water downwardly from the reservoirinto the well. This valve is secured by a screw to the lower end of arotatable shaft |I4, which has a manual control knob H5 at its upperend. On the under side ci the knob is a projecting boss i8 which rideson an inclined annular track |20 in the housing 54, a coiled spring |22around the shaft always serving to urge the shaft, valve and knobdownwardly. On rotating the knob ap proximately one-half turn, the bossl0 travels down the inclined track and valve l l2 closes the passageway,it being seen that the valve seats directly on the tube |06 if the Fig.7 construction is employed, whereas it seats on the depressed margin ofaperture l if the Fig. 8 construction is employed. When the knob isrotated back to the position shown, it not only opens the passageway tothe well, but also seats against thev bottom of the protuberance |25 inthe housing thereby preventing any leakage or" moisture upwardly aroundthe shaft.

'Around the opening H34 are a pair of upstanding arcuate bailies 82d and|28.l As best seen in Fig. 3, these are of different diameters and'overlap one another to a certain extent so that they completelyencircle the opening; however, any lwater in the reservoir may readilyiiow through the space between the baiiies in order to drain through theopening. Returning now to the closure 52, this comprises a" deformabledisk of rubber or the like disposed between a pair of washers |30. Astem |32 having an enlarged head |34 below the lowermost washer isthreaded through the center of the washers and the disk so that itsupper end protrudes above the upper washer. Straddling the upper end ofthe stem is the bifurcated end of a lever |36 which is adapted to lay ina groove |38 in the handle 58. The lever is connected to the stem by apivot pin |40 and its forward end is rounded in eccentric relation tothe pivot pin to form a camming surface.

In its normal unrestrained condition, disk 62 is slightly smaller thanthe ller opening; however, when lever |35 is positioned as shown, thedisk is squeezed between the washers |30 so that it expands outwardlyand tightly engages the wall of the opening to seal the opening and holdthe disk in place. In order to iill the water reseri/oir, lever |36 isswung upwardly about its pivot pin as indicated by the arrow |42. Thispermits washers i3d to move slightly apart releasing the pressure ondisk S2 which now restores to its normal diameter and can be Withdrawneasily from the filler opening. During the filling of the reservoir, theoutlet from the res-y ervoir to the well so is sealed by closure valvei2 as hereinbefore described. The reservoir may be partially lled asshown or completely filled, and in the latter case, the water rising inthe hollow cavity m4 of the rear handle post forces the air above thesurface out of a bleeder tube |46 in the handle. Having been lled to thedesired extent, the reservoir is resealed by inserting clo sure 62 intothe mouth of the filler opening and swinging lever |355 down to theposition shown thereby to expand the closure as explained.

Knob H5 now is turned in order to elevate valve H2 and thus open theoutlet from the reservoir. When this is down the water descends in tube|06 filling well Sil to the point where it covers the open lower end ofthe tube. With the lower end of the tube covered, it is impossible forair to enter the reservoir and hence no additional water will leave thelatter.

When the heating element l2 is turned on, the water in the well ishea-ted to the boiling point and the resultant steam passes over baffle98, up into dome 40, thence down tube 42 and out of oriiices 43 onto thefabric being ironed. As the water in the well boils away itautomatically is replenished from the reservoir, for whenever the levelin the well drops below the end of tube H96, air can enter the lower endof the tube and pass upwardly into the reservoir displacing andreleasing a small amount of water into the well.

.At no time, however, will the level in the well rise materially abovethe end of tube |06.

When the supply of water in the reservoir becomes very low, there is atendency for it to surge back and forth across the mouth. of openingIlll as the iron .is moved in the course of normal pressing operations.To minimize this, and to prevent the opening from at times beingcompletely uncovered as the water travels away therefrom, baffles |26and |28 are provided around the opening.

Baflie 98 similarly prevents water in well 90 from rushing forward, forexample when the iron is drawn backward rapidly. Due to the briskboiling which occurs in the well, it nevertheless is inevitable thatsmall globules of water sometimes pass over the baffle 98 and descend onthe iioor plate 92. If the boiling were to continue in this region,water globules might occasionally spatter upwardly and enter the tube42. To prevent this and eliminateV the possibility of entrained mois.

turefrom reaching the fabric being ironed, the floor. plateisiseparatecl from-the solerplate by an airspace and thus is maintainedcool enough to minimizeboiling around-the base of: the tube d2; also itis sloped downwardly toward the rear so that moisture reaching it drains-backthrough the openings ldto a point behind the baflle 98. Anyspattering which occurs in the latter region is too far from tube 62 tocarry any water into the tube.

The amount of water in the well is so small that even when'the soleplate is operated at relatively low temperatures thereis no diculty inheating the water and generating steam. Moreover the water is raised. tothe boiling point very quickly; starting with a cold iron and cold waterfrom the tap, it has been found that steam begins to issue from thelorifices in the sole plate in approximately 30 seconds after the heatingelement is turned on. This obviously is much faster than wouldbepossible if the whole body of water had to be heated, as is the casein conventional tea kettle type irons. It will be noted that in my ironthe bottom of the water reservoir is sepa rated by an air spacefromthetop of the small boiler 35 and is separated by a larger space fromthe sole plate, hence little heat is transferred to the main-body ofwater held in storage.

If it is desired to use the iron dry, it is not necessary to empty thewater` from the iron; instead the operator merely turns knob H6 tolowerclosure valve H2 into seating engagement with the outlet from thereservoir. Assuming the ironis in operation, the well 9U will boil dryin approximately seconds, after which no further steam will be generateduntil valve H2 is again lifted.

To. disassemble iron for repair or servicing, knob Sdfrst is removedfrom shaft 30, then screws 82 are loosened and the rear cover plate 'I8is removed. This exposes the electrical wiring, which has been omittedfrom the drawings for the sake of clarity, and givesaccess to screws 16.If the latter are unscrewed, skirt l2 may be taken off-1 and screws 'mnow can bfi-loosened. so that theupper portion of the iron (i. e. thewater reservoir and handle) can be lifted free of the sole plate and itsattached boiler. This renders all of the remaining partsreadilyaccessible and the manner of completing the disassembly will be obvious.In remounting the water reservoir on the sole' plate care should betaken to press the two together suciently to compress the O-ring 08 intosealing engagement, as shown, before tighteningthescrews l il.

From. the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to obtain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set for-th,togather with other advantages which are obvious and' which are inherentto the apparatus. It is free of the various shortcomings of both the teakettle type of iron andthe flash boiler type, and in particular achievesall of the advantages of heating but a reiativels7 small amount of waterwhile atv the same time avoiding the use of troublesome feed valves.

Itwill be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

Inasmuch as various embodimentsV of the inventionmay be made withoutdeparting from the scope-thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown inthe accompanylill 8. ingdrawings is to beinterpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus describedmy invention, I. claim:

1. In a steam iron, a sole plate, means for heat'- ing the soleplate, aboiler attached to the sole plate and. overlying it, one of said boiler`and sole. plate elements being formed with a recessed portion to providea well whereby the well is heatedl by. said sole plate and heatingmeans, a water. reservoir having in its bottom an outlet duct extendingdownwardly into said well with an out.- l`et opening spaced above thebottom but below the top-of the well, the Lipper end of said duct beingsubstantially flush with the bottom ofsaid reservoir, baffle means inthe reservoir around'the mouth of the duct to prevent the water fromsurging across the mouth of the duct as the result of changes in thedirection of the irons movement, means for hermetically sealing saidreser.- voir above the surface of the water therein, whereby water isfed automatically from thereservoir whenever the water level in saidwell drops below said outlet opening. and a steam outlet connected tosaid boiler.

2. in a steam iron, a sole plate, means for heating the sole plate, saidsole plate having its upper surface recessed to form therein a shallowwell of restricted horizontal cross section, a water reservoir having anoutlet duct extending downwardly therefrom into said well with an outletport spaced above the bottom but below the top of the well, means forhermetically sealing said reservoir above the surface of the watertherein whereby the water is maintained at a suflicient depth in saidwell to cover said port baille means in the reservoir around the mouthof said duct to prevent the water from surging across the mouth of theduct as the result of changes in the direction of the irons movement, adome over the surface 0f the water in said well for confining the steamgenerated by the heating thereof; said dome being positionedintermediate said reservoir and said sole plate, and a steam outletpassageway extending from the dome through the sole plate for conductingthe steam onto the fabric being ironed.

3. In a steam iron, a sole plate, the upper surface of the sole platebeing recessed to form therein a shallow well of restricted horizontalcross section, a U-shaped heating element embedded in the sole platewith its legs straddling said well, a water reservoir having an outletduct extending downwardly therefrom into said Well with the open lowerend of the duct spaced'below the top of the well, means for hermeticallysealing said reservoir above the surface of the water therein wherebythe water is maintained at a sufcient depth in the well to cover saidopen lower end of the duct, a dome overthe'surface of the water in saidwell confining the steam generated by the heating thereof, said domebeing positioned intermediate said reservoir and said sole plate, and asteam outlet passageway extending from the dome through the sole platefor conducting the steam onto the fabric being ironed.

1i. In a steam iron, a sole plate, a boiler attached to the sole plateand overlying it` oneA o! said boiler and sole plate elements beingformed with a recessed portion to provide a well, a water reservoirhaving in its bottom an outlet duct extending downwardly into said wellwith an outlet port spaced above the bottom butV below the top of thewell, the upper endof said duct being substantially ush with the bottomof said reservoir, baliie means in the reservoir around the mouth ofsaid d uct to preventthe water from surging across the mouth of the ductas the result of changes in the direction of the irons movement, meansfor hermetically sealing said reservoir above the surface of the watertherein, means for heating the bottom and sides of the well thereby toconvert into steam the water entering the well from the reservoir, and asteam passageway from the boiler extending through the sole plate forconducting the steam onto the fabric being ironed.

5. A steam iron as in claim 4 having a valve for said outlet duct,manually operable means for seating or unseating said valve at will toprevent or permit the flow of water through said duct, and `means toautomatically retain said valve in the position to which it was lastoperated.

6. In a steam iron, a sole plate, means for heating .the sole plate, aboiler attached to the sole plate and overlying it, one of saidboilerand sole plate elements being formed with a recessed portion toprovide a well whereby the well is heated by said heating means and saidsole plate, a water reservoir, means for detachably securing saidreservoir to the sole plate above same and in vertically spaced relationthereto, an outlet duct integral with said reservoir extendingdownwardly through an aperture in the top of said boiler and into saidwell with its open lower end spaced below the top of the well, sealingmeans between the duct and the boiler closing said aperture around theduct, means for hermetically sealing said reservoir above the surface ofthe water therein.

7. In a steam iron, a sole plate, means for heating the sole plate, aboiler attached to the sole plate and overlying it, one of said boilerand sole plate elements being formed with a recessed portion to providea well whereby the well is heated by said heating means and said soleplate, a water reservoir, means for detachably securing said reservoirto the sole plate above same and in vertically spaced relation thereto,the bottom of the reservoir and the top of the boiler having registeringapertures, sealing means between the apertures forming a luidtightpassageway from the reservoir to the boiler when the reservoir issecured to the sole plate, a duct extending downwardly through theboiler into said well, the open upper end of the duct communicating withsaid reservoir through said passageway and the open lower end beingspaced below the top of the well, said reservoir having a filler openingand a closure therefore, means for hermetically sealing said reservoirabove the surface of the water when the ller opening is closed wherebywater is maintained at a sufficient depth in said well to cover the openlower end of said duct.

8. In a steam iron, a sole plate, means for heating the sole plate, aboiler attached to the sole plate and overlying it, one of said boilerand sole plate elements being formed with a recessed portion to providea well whereby the well is heated by said heating means and said soleplate, a water reservoir, means for detachably securing said reservoirto the sole plate above same and in vertically spaced relation thereto,the bottom of the reservoir and the top of the boiler having registeringapertures, sealing means between the apertures forming a uidtightpassageway from the reservoir to the boiler when the reservoir issecured to the sole plate, a duct extending downwardly through theboiler into said well, the open upper end of the duct communicating withsaid reservoir through said passageway and the open lower end beingspaced below the top of the well, said reservoir having a ller openingand a closure therefore, means operable to open and close saidpassageway, means for hermetically sealing the reservoir above thesurface of the water when the ller opening is closed whereby water ismaintained at a suicient depth in said well to cover the open lower endof said duct.

9. A steam generating device comprising a boiler, heating means for theboiler, a steam outlet for the boiler, a Water reservoir above theboiler, a resilient annular gasket sandwiched between thebottom of thereservoir and the top of the boiler, a tension link connection betweenthe reservoir and boiler forcibly clamping the two together andmaintaining the gasket under compression, the bottom of the reservoirand the top ofthe boiler having aligned openings registering with theopening in said annular gasket whereby said gasket forms a fluidtightpassageway from the reservoir to the boiler, a duct extending`downwardly into the boiler, the open upper end of the duct communicatingwith the said reservoir through said passageway and the lower end of theduct being below the normal level of the water in the boiler, means forhermetically sealing said reservoir above the surface of the watertherein whereby water is fed from the reservoir into the boiler when thelevel in the boiler drops below the opening at the lower end of theduct, and means for releasing said tension link connection to permitseparation of the reservoir from the boiler.

10. A steam generating device comprising a base Ihaving a well adaptedto contain water, means for heating the water in the well to producesteam, a cover carried by the base over the surface of the water forconfining the steam, an outlet duct communicating with the steam spaceunder the cover, means for automatically replenishing the water in saidwell as it is converted into steam; said last means comprising a waterstorage receptacle having an integral open neck of reduced cross sectionprojecting from the bottom thereof, means removably supporting thereceptacle on said base above said cover with said neck extendingdownwardly through an opening in the cover into said well andterminating above the bottom but below the top of the well, an annulargasket closely encircling said neck, the top of the gasket engaging thebottom of the receptacle and the bottom of the gasket engaging the topof said cover around said opening, said supporting means includingreleasable clamping connection between the base and reservoircompressing said gasket between the bottom of the reservoir and the topof the cover, whereby said gasket seals said opening around the neck,and means for hermetically sealing said receptacle above the surface ofthe water therein whereby water is automatically fed from the receptaclewhenever the level in the well drops below the opening in the lower endof said neck.

11. In a steam iron of the type having a self contained reservoircarried by the sole plate, a horizontally disposed main reservoirsection conforming in contour with the sole plate, a pair of laterallyspaced posts upstanding from the top of said main section and carryingat their upper ends a hand grip spanning the space between the posts,both posts being hollow and having their interiors communicating withthe interior of said main section to augment the water carrying capacitythereof, the upper end of one post being closed and the upper end of theother being open 11 to form a ller opening for the reservoir, a pas,-saaeway extending from the upper end 0f' said one post into said otherpost to permit escape of. air during the lling of the reservoir, and aClosure for Said 1111er opening.

In a steam iron, a sole plate having heating means therein and a steampassageway therethrough, a boiler carried by the sole plate on the upperface thereof, one of said boiler and sole plate elements being providedwith a recessed portion to provide a well, a transverse baiiieupstanding from the floor of the boiler dividing the interior thereofinto forward and rear secu tions, a stand pipe in the forward section ofthe boiler communicating with the steam passagewey through the soleplate for conducting steam the fabric being ironed, the floor of thefQlWald section of the boiler sloping rearwardly downward toward saidbaille and the oor of the rear section being horizontal andsubstantially ush with the lowest, point of saidl forward section, adrain passageway extending from the floor of the forward section pastsaid baille to the floor of the rear section to permit drainage ofmoisture from said sloping forward floor, a water storage reservoir, andflow control means to feed water from said reservoir into said well andmaintain the water lever in the well substantialy constant;L

13. A steam iron as in claim 12 wherein the forward floor section ofsaid boiler and sole plate are spaced from each other to provide, an ah'space therebetween.

ROBERT J. SCOIT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 285,585 Del Valle Sept. 25, 1883671,374 Flinn Apr. 2, 1901 1,347,971 Ray 1 July 27, 1920 1,521,058Walker Dec. 30, 1924 2,164,881 Meyerson July 4, 1939 2,188,011 MillerJan. 23, 1940` 2,302,476 Rubinstein Nov. 17,` 1942 2,337,078 Morton Dec.21, 1943 2,427,521 Butman Sept. 16, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 202,491 Switzerland May 1, 1939 690,034 France June 10, 1930

